Takao

"Early, eh?" Takao said as he stretched his arms skyward, only stopping when his digital joints played an audible popping sound. He flexed his hands next as they returned to his sides, digging into the pockets of his trousers. "That doesn't usually happen." The thoughts were shaken from his head and he refocused on Calrex, who went on to say that they were similar in level and shared a similar spread of skills. More or less. There were a few oddities in either build that differed it from the other, some more numerically potent than others. With eyes narrowed ever so slightly in thought, Takao schemed.

He's got Achilles, and that'll chew through half my damage before going through his armour... 'n it'll hit me back. Martial Arts drains more energy than one-handed straight sword as well, so I'll have to expend more energy just t'keep up. The smart thing for him t'do would be to sit back 'n parry everything with that mod and whittle me down like that, 'cause he'll win if it's down to a battle of attrition... My only option is to just try 'n out-damage him and hope that my regen can keep up.

With Roc hovering nearby, Otoko turned to Takao briefly and exhaled a few throaty barks into his ear. "Yeah, go ahead." Takao said in response as he lifted his arm, providing the familiar adequate footing to descend to the ground with catlike finesse, running off to preoccupy himself with playing with his avian companion.

"I think we can stick with our weapons, if y'don't mind anyway. I have a feelin' the spar would drag out for quite a while otherwise. I'm guessin' we're gonna be goin' for the pure No Items, Fox Only, Final Destination run?" Takao said, referencing yet another age-old, long since outdated meme. "I mean like... no buffs, no charge, that business."

Repetition. Oh how he hated it, yet the very concept of Sword Art Online called for it again and again. Repetition produced results, surely this much was true, and those ever-important numbers going up were perhaps the only force that drove him forward. Go to this spot and kill these monsters, then go to a new spot when they stopped spawning, then go home and craft, then sleep and repeat. With how he'd distanced himself from the general populace as of late, there was little in his daily routine that broke the monotony. However, there were some anomalies that did that; an interruption in the form of a Private Message chiming had brought his attention to the blinking icon on his HUD. Green eyes slowly trailed down away from the message and to the humanoid reptile-like monster he held by the neck, his right arm pulled back and hand clenched tight into a fist. Utilizing the Martial Arts skill in place of his Dagger was oddly entertaining, especially when it boiled down to literally beating things into submission. A quick right jab ended the monster and left it shattering into pixels as Takao righted himself and opened up the message.

The contents of the message were skimmed and contemplated for a brief moment before a response was returned:

Quote

	I'm down. Gimme 15, I'm in the fields right now.
Recipient: Calrex

The allocated amount of time had passed by the time Takao arrived at the arena. It was understandably vacant, sans the aquamarine-hued swordsman leaned up against the far wall. Takao greeted Calrex with a wave, nearly upsetting the balance of the wingless dragon familiar riding on his shoulders. "Ay Cal. Sorry for the wait."

Takao's ever-wandering eyes slowly trailed across the landscape, taking in the various appearance of players at different distances. One of many benefits that the Search and Detect skill bestowed upon him was a variety of enhancements to his senses, namely his hearing. The conversations going on around him were mostly filtered out into white noise, but a familiar voice had caught his attention. It was one he hadn't heard in quite some time.

"Hold that thought." Takao said, lifting his hand to Hikoru. Had Hikoru even said something? Oh well. His legs tensed and he stood, his head turned as if guided by radar to the gathering of players not too far away. Catching various bits and pieces of the conversation had left him with some much needed context, but being the person he was, Takao opted to approach them anyway.

"Some lowly?" He said to Oikawa first upon approaching the gathered players, his head tilted and eyebrow raised. "I didn't take you for the sort t'call people that. Y'sound like the Brigade." He commented in monotone, green eyes first moving to regard Baldur with a cordial nod of his head before curiously trailing over the collared player and finally settling onto Mari, whom he had recalled last speaking to on a good note. The air around them seemed tense and he flexed his empty, glove-clad hands as a result. Without a visibly equipped weapon, he couldn't imagine he came off as an immediate threat, but looks could certainly be deceiving. "Hey, Mari. S'been a while." 

"Hey," Takao said as he dropped down and crouched beside Hikoru, lazy eyes glancing out from the shadows that his fellow player had taken solace in. His nostril twitched as he inhaled, slowly moving over the few figures that had gathered. Oikawa, who was a familiar face, and another player that looked entirely unfamilar were standing above the fleeting pixelated remains of what he could only assume was a boar, or perhaps a wolf. Both were common adversaries on the first floor that Takao had assumed were hunted into oblivion, given their low stats and easy, predictable attack patterns.

"What're we lookin' at?" He asked, stealing a sidelong glance at the stealthy player before looking back at Oikawa. In most cases, player killers were open game... or at least that's how he heard it to be, he seldom concerned himself with the notion. But with Hikoru's own glowing orange cursor and little explanation to Takao for how he got it, it was easy to make a few assumptions. With a raised eyebrow, he did just that.

"Y'gonna try 'n jump him 'cause he's a player killer or somethin'?" said Takao, doing little to conceal himself or to hide his monotone voice. It might have even looked like he was talking to himself, which wouldn't have been an unlikely assumption to arrive at. Glove-clad hands twitched slightly with anticipation; he didn't truly think Hikoru had such an intention, but he did find it mildly entertaining to bring forth the notion. He shifted and rested his arms over his knees, his head tilted.

- -

ID: 67060
LD: 29 (17 + 5(S&D) + 4(HoM) + 3(Detect))

(Sorry for the slow response; my time is being spread pretty thin. Also, just as a heads up because I literally cannot remember what my stats were, we'll be using the new SAs/HP/Stats/etc from the September update in this thread.)

"S'gonna be a pain since it drops damage like it does, but it should only take-..." Takao said aloud to his familiar, who had expressed some wordless distaste for their upcoming excursion into the frigid wasteland that was the fourth floor of Aincrad. His voiced trailed off upon seeing Calrex, who had seated himself nearby and was quick to greet. Takao halted his pace mid-stride and lifted his hand slightly in a stationary wave.

"Oh. 'ey Cal." Takao said, his hand dropping down and seamlessly sliding into the pocket of his jacket. "Yeah, figured I'd pick it up 'n get it out of the way. Sounds like y'already done it yourself?" He asked, having gotten the impression that Calrex recognized the dialogue. It was a relatively new quest, so he should have expected to see a few familiar faces, yet the appearance of Baldur was a sobering sight. It was yet another reminder of how Sword Art Online picked apart the players in small doses, where the harsh realities of the game could change people so starkly. Much like he greeted Calrex, Takao's hand was raised in a stationary wave before finding its way back into his pocket.

"Guess it must be a popular one or somethin'." Takao said in response, exhaling a dry chuckle to accompany the words. It was beginning to feel like he'd forgotten how to be himself, and how to socialize. Twas a daunting realization to suddenly dawn upon all at once, but as was usually the case, Takao's exterior showed no change. His eyes trailed sidelong to the familiar who prepared to jump from his shoulders and held his arm out, allowing Otoko an easy path onto the nearby empty table. Shortly after Baldur's appearance another had arrived, and although he looked entirely unfamiliar Takao still regarded him in a similar way to how he had Calrex and Baldur. "I was 'bout t'head out 'n do it if you guys wanted t'come."

4 hours ago, Oikawa said:

Name: Fudōshin 
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66568
Roll: 12 [9+3]
Item Type: Katana 
Tier: 2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +4 Damage & +1 Bleed
Description: Fudoshin is the state of the immovable spirit, the iron will of a warrior made steel. As such, Fudoshinken can only be wielded by a warrior who has risen to the challenge of defeating their inner demons.
Post Link: Here

Name: Ketsueki Kanashiki
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66964
Roll: 12
Item Type: One-Handed Curved Sword
Tier: 2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +6 Damage
Description: A clean smooth blade that has a dark contour line. (Change it if you like J )
Post Link: Here

Name: Raijinken
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66963
Roll: 12 (11+2)
Item Type: Katana
Tier: 2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +4 Damage & +1 Paralyze
Description: The sword of lightning, this katana seemed to crackle with faint energy and has the ability to paralyze its foes.
Post Link: Here

Name: Wanderer's Light
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66965
Roll: 12 (10+2)
Item Type: Two-Handed Assault Spear
Tier: 2
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +6 Damage
Description: A qiang, a two handed chinese style spear. Very similar to Long Sky's spear ('Hero' - the movie with jet li) It's entirely made of a light, but durable metal. Finished, the metal itself looks whitish - silverish. Near the bladed tip part of the spear is a white colored tassle. Running along the spear shaft are grooves that criscrosses each other all the way down to the other tip of the spear where there was another tassle of white hair. Hidden underneath all that white fluff hid a small blade, almost obscure from sight until it digs into the chosen target.
Post Link: Here

Name: Zodiac Blade
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66969
Roll: 12
Item Type: One-Handed Curved Sword
Tier: 1
Quality: Perfect
Enhancements: +3 Damage
Description: http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/finalfantasy/images/e/e7/Excalibur-ffxii.png/revision/latest?cb=20130704000901--- Just like that but curved. In the Dark it gives off a faint golden light. 
Post Link: Here

Name: Akuma's Rage
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66966
Roll: 7 (5+2)
Item Type: Two-Handed Straight Sword
Tier: 2
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: +2 Damage
Description: Black steel blade with a crimson and onyx handle.
Post Link: Here

Name: Illian's Might
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66968
Roll: 9 (7+2)
Item Type: Katana
Tier: 2
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: +2 Damage
Description: White steel blade with a blue and silver handle.
Post Link: Here

Name: Blade of Aureolis
Profession: Blacksmith
Rank: 8
ID: 66971
Roll: 9 (7+2)
Item Type: One-Handed Curved Sword
Tier: 2
Quality: Uncommon
Enhancements: +2 Damage
Description: Crimson steel blade with an onyx and silver handle.
Post Link: Here

Approved.

4 hours ago, Morgenstern said:

Former Weapon Skill: One Handed Straight Sword
Former Weapon Rank: 2

New Weapon Skill: One handed Curved Sword
New Weapon Rank: 2

Approved.

6 minutes ago, Rain said:

Former Weapon Skill: Katana
Former Weapon Rank: 5

New Weapon Skill: Two-Handed Assault Spear
New Weapon Rank: 5

Former Weapon Skill: One-Handed Curved Sword
Former Weapon Rank: 1

New Weapon Skill: Martial Arts
New Weapon Rank: 1

Approved.

Thread locked.

ID :: 66897
LD :: 7

7 Bonus Materials awarded.

(minor sidenote: you would only have 2 skill slots available as a level 1 character.)

2 hours ago, Oikawa said:

Using my demonic egg to change my weapon due to the update

Demonic Weapon: Amphibian Teeth

Weapon Type: Rapier

Enhancements: +2 Paralytic Venom & +2 Damage

to:

Demonic Weapon: Amphibian Teeth

Weapon Type: Two-Handed Straight Sword

Enhancements: +2 Paralytic Venom & +2 Damage

Approved.

54 minutes ago, Oikawa said:

Former Weapon Skill: Rapier
Former Weapon Rank: 5

to:

New Weapon Skill: Two-Handed Straight Sword
New Weapon Rank: 5

 

 

Approved.

2 minutes ago, Hakai said:

Former Weapon Skill: Martial Arts
Former Weapon Rank: 1

New Weapon Skill: One Handed Curved Sword
New Weapon Rank: 1

And

Former Weapon Skill: Wild Dance
Former Weapon Rank: 5

New Weapon Skill: Katana
New Weapon Rank: 5

Approved.

Former Weapon Skill: Dagger
Former Weapon Rank: 5

New Weapon Skill: Martial Arts
New Weapon Rank: 5

The September Update brought with it some drastic changes to the forum's meta and the balance of the sword arts. Because of this, Staff are allowing Characters a one-time Weapon Skill only respec, to be posted in this thread for confirmation. This respec is not mandatory and players are permitted to keep their current weapon skills if they wish. Players that do choose to respec their weapon skill can only choose another weapon skill; the points cannot be put into anything else.

Weapons will not change type with the weapon skill switch because the respec is not mandatory, save for Whip and Wild Dance. Whip and Wild Dance weapons, including Demonic equipment, will change to match the user's new skill. (your local blacksmiths are starving. with a donation as low as one mat a day, you can help.)

Weapon Re-Spec Form
(Copy and paste the form below into a new post.)

Former Weapon Skill: (skill name here)
Former Weapon Rank: (skill rank here)

New Weapon Skill: (skill name here)
New Weapon Rank: (skill rank here, same as former)

If Takao hadn't hated the ice-covered settlement of Snowfrost before, and he most certainly had, then his new armour certainly didn't lend itself well to mending his ire. Even with the scale-clad familiar sitting on his shoulders and a scarf around his neck, the teeth-clattering frigidity of floor four cut through him like a hot knife through butter. However, like every other time he'd come to the fourth floor, he had a purpose for being there. NPC chatter and a bit of player-acquired information on the side had lead him to a tavern named the Long Barrow. A plume of white breath was exhaled as he read over the sign, leaving a trail behind him as he quickly ascended the staircase and into the building. It was empty, as he'd expected it to be given its position just shy of Snowfrost's outskirts, save for a few players conversing with one another and the various NPCs that lingered.

Tired eyes glanced over cursors and faces until he examined the grizzled features of one in particular, sitting against the wall near the back of the tavern. He made his way closer to the NPC and stopped in front of the table. "Hi," He said simply, garnering its attention. It was a bit awkward to verbally communicate with an NPC in which he knew had limited responses, as well as being just programmable AI. A brief stint of dialogue had learned Takao of the NPC's name, Joramun, and the story of his wife's death. The glorified flavour text of the quest was of little interest to Takao; he knew fully well that the AI was emotionless outside of what it was created to be, and that its story was created for the sake of the quest. When the conversation was over and the quest had appeared in his list, Takao stood and hastily made for the door. He was eager to be done with it and out of the cold.

"Yeah. More damage." Takao said, not skipping a beat as he cycled through the menu until his inventory was called forth. Gentle chimes played with each touch, eventually resulting in a blue light breaking his weapon down into fragments, only to be replaced with another scabbard appearing on his lower back. "Dagger's got the highest hittin' sword art. O-H-S-S's got a good spread of area-of-effect skills which make it easy t'clear out dungeons like this, and the two handed version's got the hardest hittin' area-of-effect. S'prolly obvious by now, but I tend to play solo, so." Takao said, his voice flattening out into it's usual monotone toward the end of the sentence. He drew Serpent's Bite from his back and spun it in his palm, grasping the handle in reverse-grip. "Y'know. Helps t'have one of each." He added in a quieter, softer tone. Jaded eyes located the door and he stepped up to it, placing his hand upon its cold surface and pushing. "Stay outta sight 'n you'll be fine. I'll make sure I've got its attention."

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